Mikel Whittier, MHA
(he/him/his)
Director, Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, UCLA Health
Experience
Whittier is the inaugural director for Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for UCLA Health.
Whittier has vast experience advancing health equity and racial equity in health care. He previously served as the senior director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics. His past leadership includes roles at St. Louis Integrated Health Network, where he worked to advance racial equity in care coordination across a network of hospitals, medical schools, federally qualified health centers, and public health departments for divested demographics in the St. Louis region. This work was established and subsequently developed out of recommendations by the Ferguson Commission and reports developed after the killing of Michael Brown Jr.
Whittier also served as the coalitions director on the Healthcare for Missouri: Medicaid Expansion Campaign. The historic victory resulted from one of the most diverse coalitions in Missouri campaign history, with more than 350 organizations of various political affiliations, religions and community organizations across Missouri. Additionally, his experience spans various roles at Mercy Hospital St. Louis. He also served as an adjunct professor in the College of Public Health and Social Justice at Saint Louis University.
His service includes former board membership on the Regional Health Commission’s Advisory Board and co-chair of Barnes Jewish Hospital’s Community and Faith Advisory Council. In all these roles, he aided the advancement of health equity solutions to address health inequities across the state of Missouri.
Whittier enjoys community service as a Big in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program and membership in 100 Black Men of America. He is also a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and the National Association of Health Services Executives.
Education
Whittier received his master’s degree in health care administration from the University of Missouri and is currently a doctoral candidate in business administration at Liberty University.
